Ink and water fountain roller controls for printing press



June 11, 1968 s. D. MCCLAIN INK AND WATER FOUNTAIN ROLLER CONTROLS FOR PRINTING PRESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 11, 1965 INVENTOR. SAM D. MQCLA/N ATTORNEYS June 11, 1968 s. D. MCCLAIN 3,387,558

INK AND WATER FOUNTAIN ROLLER CONTROLS FOR PRINTING PRESS Filed Oct. 11, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR SAM D MQ CLA/N ATTORNEYS June 11, 1968 0. MCCLAIN 3,387,558

INK AND WATER FOUNTAIN ROLLER CONTROLS FOR PRINTING PRESS Filed Oct. 11, 1965 5 She t -Sheet 3 56 q INVENTOR.

SA M D. M2 CLA/N A TTORNEYS United States Patent 2 Claims. (Cl. 101-351) ABSTRACT OF TIIE DISCLOSURE The invention may be described as an automatic ink and water shutoff means for a printing press. More particularly, the invention is an apparatus for use with a printing press of the type having an ink and water fountain roller each rotated by a pawl reciprocated against a circular ratchet and including a shaft having a handle affixed thereto for engaging and disengaging a plate cylinder. The invention includes means for automatically terminating the rotation of the ink and/ or water fountain roller when the plate cylinder is disengaged. The invention consists of a cam carried by the plate engaging and disengaging shaft, the cam having a circular periphery eccentric to the axis of the shaft, and a length of stiff wire, the wire being circularly curved at one end forming at least a portion of a circle slidably received by the periphery of the cam whereby rotation of the cam as the shaft is rotated imparts a linear motion to the wire, the wire being semi-circularly curved at the other end in an are having a radius of the arc of reciprocation of the pawl, said semi-circularly curved portion having slidable engagement with the pawl whereby when the shaft is rotated to disengage the plate cylinder the linear motion imparted to the wire by the cam moves the pawl away from reciprocation against the ratchet, thereby terminating rotation of the fountain roller.

This invention relates to a device for automatically shutting off the ink and water fountain rollers in a printing press when the impression cylinder is disengaged.

Many types of printing presses in use today include an arrangement wherein the elements of the press which drive the water and ink fountain rollers continue to operate when the impression cylinder is disengaged. That is, such presses continue to apply ink and water to the respective fountain rollers any time the press is running whether or not the impression cylinder is engaged and paper is being run through the press. This means that each time the impression cylinder is disengaged, an excess accumulation of water and ink occurs on the ink and water fountain rollers. Separate means are normally provided on such presses for individually shutting off the water and ink fountain rollers but busy printers in setting up and running the presses find the extra steps necessary to disengage the water and ink fountain rollers a nuisance. One problem is that if the water and ink fountain rollers are dis engaged when the impression cylinder is disengaged, the printer must remember to re-engage these rollers when the impression cylinder is re-engaged to begin passing paper through the press, otherwise faulty printing will result. For this reason most printers do not disengage the ink and water fountain rollers when the impression cylinder is disengaged for adjustment, adding paper, and so forth.

This invention provides means for automatically disengaging the ink and water fountain rollers of a printing press when the impression cylinder is disengaged.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for disengaging the ink fountain roller of a printing press automatically when the impression cylinder is disengaged.

Another object of this invention is to provide means for disengaging the water fountain roller of a printing press when the impression cylinder is disengaged.

Still another object of this invention is to provide simple and highly inexpensive devices for automatically disengaging the ink fountain roller and water fountain roller of a printing press when the impression cylinder is disengaged.

These and other objects will be fulfilled by the invention now to be described and can best be understood with reference to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric partial side View of a typical printing press incorporating the improvement of this invention showing the portion of the invention utilized to automatically disengage the ink fountain roller when the impression cylinder is disengaged.

FIGURE 2 is an isometric partial side view of a typical printing press showing the device of this invention as utilized to disengage the water fountain roller of the press automatically when the impression cylinder is disengaged.

FIGURE 3 is a view identical to FIGURE 2 but showing the impression cylinder in a disengaged position and thereby the water fountain roller disengaged.

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the water fountain roller shutoff linkage portion of this invention.

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the ink fountain roller shutoff linkage of this invention.

FIGURE 6 is an isometric view of the cam as utilized in this invention, two of such cams being afiixed to be rotated by the handle member of the printing press which engages and disengages the impression cylinder.

FIGURE 7 is a support bracket as utilized with the water fountain roller shutoff linkage disclosed in FIG- URE 4.

FIGURE 8 is a support bracket utilized with the ink fountain roller shutoff linkage as shown in FIGURE 5.

Referring now to the drawings, and first to FIGURE 1, a partial isometric side view of a typical printing press is shown. The elements making up the press are supported to a frame plate It! and include an ink fountain roller 12. The printing press is powered by an electric motor, not shown, which operates through gear and belt drives the various portions of the press. When the motor is energized, it continually rotates portions of the press including the drive shaft 14. Aflixed to the drive shaft 14 is an eccentric 16 which reciprocates a push rod 18 which in turn rotatably reciprocates an ink fountain roller pawl 20.

The ink fountain roller 12 has affixed to it an ink fountain roller ratchet 22. As the pawl 20 reciprocates, it engages the teeth of ratchet 22 to rotate the ink fountain roller 12 in a unidirectional interrupted rotational motion. The speed of the rotation of ink fountain roller 12 is determined by the number of teeth of the ratchet 22 engaged upon each stroke of the pawl 20. This is selected by the ink adjustment cam 24'.

A part of the printing press is a plate cylinder shaft 26 which is connected to engage and disengage the press plate cylinder. When the plate cylinder is engaged paper fed through the press is impressed with printed material.

When, for any reason, the press operator desires to stop the impression of paper passing through the press, the plate cylinder is disengaged while the other mechanisms of the press continue to run. The plate cylinder is controlled by a handle 28, that is, the operator pivots handle 28 to engage or disengage the plate cylinder.

The portions of the typical printing press described to this point are typically found, either as shown or through their counterparts, on most smaller presses utilized at the present time. The parts described to this point form no part of the invention. In a typical printing press when the operator moves handle 28 to disengage the plate cylinder, the other mechanisms of the press continue to operate including the reciprocation of the pawl of the ink fountain roller 12. This causes accumulation of ink on the form rollers of the press so that when printing is resumed excessive ink may have accumulated. The same occurs for the accumulation of water on the water form roller to be described subsequently. This invention provides a means of automatically stopping the rotation of ink and water fountain rollers when handle 28 is moved to disengage the plate cylinder.

As shown in FIGURE 1, affixed to the plate cylinder shaft 26 is a cam 3t best shown in FIGURE 6. The cam has a split opening 32 to receive the plate cylinder shaft 26 and a threaded radial opening 34 to receive an Allen screw or the like as a means of affixing the cam to the plate cylinder shaft. The periphery 30 of the cam is eccentric and is grooved at 36.

Referring again to FIGURE 1, the cam 30 is shown affixed to the plate cylinder shaft 26. Extending from the cam 36 is an ink fountain roller shutoff linkage 38. One end portion 40 of the linkage 38 is curved to rotatably receive the slot 36 in the cam 3t so that the end portion 4% of linkage 38 functions as a cam follower and a linear displacement of the linkage is imparted when handle 28 is rotated.

The opposite end portion 42 of linkage 38 is curved to rotatably receive a portion of pawl 20. When the ban dle 28 is rotated to disengage the plate cylinder, cam 30 concurrently is rotated which causes an axial displacement of the linkage 38 moving the pawl 26' out of engagement with ratchet 22. Thus, when the operator moves handle 28 to disengage the plate cylinder, the rotation of the ink fountain roller is automatically terminated. When the operator moves the handle 28 in a manner to reengage the plate cylinder, pawl 20 is moved back into position to engage ratchet 22 and initiates rotation of the ink fountain roller 12.

FIGURES 2 and 3 describe in like manner the application of the invention for controlling the water fountain roller 46. The continuous drive shaft 14, which may or may not be the same drive shaft which extends through the opposite side of the press as shown in FIGURE 1, continually rotates an eccentric 16. A push rod 18 reciprocates the water fountain roller pawl 48 which engages a water fountain ratchet 5t As previously described, when the operator disengages the plate cylinder to stop the flow of paper through the press, shaft 14 nevertheless continues to rotate and, under the normal operation of presses in use today, the water fountain roller 46 continues to rotate. This invention utilizes a water fountain roller control cam 52 affixed to the plate cylinder shaft 26. A water fountain roller shutoff linkage 54 couples the linear movement provided by cam 52 to control the water fountain roller pawl 48. One end portion 56 of the linkage 54 is curved to rotatably receive the groove 36 of cam 52, the curved end portion 56 functioning as a follower to impart linear displacement of the linkage 54 when the plate cylinder shaft 26 is rotated to engage or disengage the plate. The other end portion 58- of linkage 5'4 is curved to rotatably receive pawl 58.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the shaft and cam 52 are in a rotatable position wherein the linkage 54 is extended to hold the pawl 48 out of engagement with ratchet 58 and thereby terminate the rotation of water fountain roller 46.

When the plate shaft 26 is rotated, by means of a handle 28 in the side of the press shown in FIGURE 1, to engage the plate cylinder, cam 52 linearly withdraws the linkage 54 allowing the awl 48 to engage the water fountain ratchet 5G to initiate rotation of the water fountain roller 46.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the water fountain linkage brackets 6 having opening 62 therein slidably receives the linkage 54 as a means of supporting it relative to the printing press and, in like manner as shown in FIGURE 1, an ink linkage bracket 64- having opening 66 therein is aflixed to frame 1t: to properly position, for linear movement, the ink fountain roller shutoff linkage 33.

This invention provides an extremely simple yet highly economical and dependable means of automatically shutting off ink and water fountain rollers when the operator disengages the plate cylinder. The device automatically re-engages the rotation of the ink and water fountain rollers when the operator re-engages the press so that the operator is relieved of the necessity of remembering, in the first instance, to turn the ink and water fountain rollers off and, in the second instance, when printing is re-initiated, to turn them back on.

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 are illustrations of exemplary embodiments of .the elements making up this invention. Two of the cams of FIGURE 6 are affixed, usually at opposite ends, to the shaft controlling the engagement of the plate cylinder. The ink fountain roller shutoff linkage 38 is typically constructed with a stiff wire and is curved at one end portion 40 to rotatably receive cam as previously described, the end portion functioning as a cam follower. The opposite end portion 42 is curved to rotatably receive the reciprocal action of the ink fountain roller pawl 20, as shown in FIGURE 1.

In substantially identical manner, the water fountain roller shutoff linkage 54 is curved at one end portion 56 to rotatably receive the cam 30, the end portion 56 functioning as a cam follower to impart linear displacement of the linkage 54. The opposite end portion 56 is curved to rotatably receive the water fountain roller pawl 48 as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3.

The water fountain linkage bracket and ink fountain linkage bracket 64 are utilized, as previously described, to support the respective linkages 38 and 54 to the printing press frame.

The specific configurations of the linkage 38 and 54 will vary considerably according to the different presses to which the invention is adapted. However, such variations do not depart in any way from the scope of this invention.

The element of the invention identified by the numeral 30 is termed a cam to indicate that its action is to impart a linear displacement of linkage element 38 or 54, however, it is understood that by the term cam is included eccentric which would also be an apt term, or any other means of linearly actuating linkages 38 and 54.

While the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is manifest that many changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of components without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:

1. With a printing press having a fountain roller rotated by a pawl reciprocated against a circular ratchet and a shaft having a handle afiixed thereto for engaging and disengaging a plate cylinder, means of automatically terminating the rotation of the fountain roller when said plate cylinder is disengaged comprising:

a cam carried by said shaft, said cam having a circular periphery eccentric to the axis of said shaft;

3 length of stiff wire, said wire being circularly curved at one end to form at least a portion of a circle slidably received by said periphery of said cam periphery has a groove therein and wherein'said circularwhereby rotation of said cam as said shaft is rotated ly curved end of said Wire is slidably received in said imparts a linear motion to the wire, said wire being groove.

semi-circularly curved at the other end in an arc References Cited having the radius of the arc of reciprocation of said 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS pawl, said semi-circularly curved portion having slidable engagement with said pawl whereby when said 1,272,032 7/1918 1Ol1 143 shaft is rotated to disengage said plate cylinder the 13G6726 6/1919 smlth 101*143 linear motion imparted to said wire by said cam 134L627 6/1920 a 101 364 1,558,686 10/1957 Lipton fit al. 10'1148 moves said pawl away from reciprocation against 10 said ratchat 2,798,425 7/1957 George et al 101144 2. Beans for automatically terminating the rotation of a printing press fountain roller when the plate cylinder ROBERT PULFREY Primary Exammer' is disengaged according to claim 1 wherein said cam I. R. FISHER, Assistant Examiner. 

